Life in New England

So we have been living in Connecticut now for a little over a month and we have a little over a month left.  Hartford is not quite what we had in mind when we thought about moving up here, but we have had some fun times in the surrounding areas.  

The first week we were up here there was a fair called the "Big E".  It was by far the biggest/best fair I have ever been to.  It was in Springfield, Mass and it celebrated all 6 New England states.  We got to this fair at 10am and didn't leave until 8pm!  That's just how big it was!

Maple Syrup Cotton Candy from the Big E!

The good thing about the states up in the northeast is they are small so you can cover one state in 1-2 days.  A few weeks ago we took a trip up to Vermont.  We covered most of Vermont in those two days.  Thank goodness for Travelzoo.  For most of the places that we have visited/are going to visit while up here we have gotten really good deals for one night stays through travelzoo.  Anyway, we stayed in Chittenden, VT at the Mountain Top Resort.  We got there early that day (before check-in) but the lady let us check in and she gave us a few ideas of what to do/ where to visit while we were in the area.  So our first day we headed to Woodstock, a cute little town, and walked around to the little shops and stuff there. There was also a covered bridge.  Covered bridges are a big thing in Vermont.  We went to Sugarbush Farm after Woodstock to check out how maple syrup is made and to get some for ourselves.  It was a really neat little farm that had a really good video on how they harvested and made their own maple syrup.  They also made cheese there.  We got to sample some of the cheeses and the flavors of maple syrup.  So of course we had to buy some to take home with us!  After this we went to the Quechee Gorge, which we were told is the "Grand Canyon of Vermont".  It was really neat.  There were also some shops in the area that we checked out.  Our second day in Vermont we had to check out Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, of course.  This was one of the main reasons that we went up to Vermont.  It was really cool to see where the ice cream is made and it was really really cool to get an ice cream cone at the end of the tour!!!  After the ice cream, we went to Lake Champlain, Green Mountain Coffee Company, and an Apple Cider Press Mill.  We also went to one more maple farm and got some maple syrup ice cream!!! YUM!  So needless to say we had an awesome time in Vermont.  Not only did we see and do a lot but the leaves were changing and it was absolutely gorgeous!!!  Vermont has been (so far) my favorite state!

We visited Rhode Island for the day last week.  When we 1st got into the state we went to Warwick, RI to check out the TAPS headquarters.  TAPS does the show Ghost Hunters on Syfy. We accidentally ran into Jamestown, RI.  We were about to go over a toll bridge and were trying to find a Bank of America to pay the toll, since we never carry cash, and the BoA ended up being in Jamestown.  Funny thing is Jamestown was my favorite place in RI.  It was a super-cute little seaside town!  We were walking the docks and one of the men fishing offered to let us catch a couple of fish.  It was fun.  I actually caught 3 fish!  So after this stop we headed to Newport to check out the cliff walk and the mansions of Newport.  All of the mansions were amazing.  We wish we could of had more time here to look at all of the houses.  After Newport we headed to Providence.  I wasn't too impressed with this place but we looked around and had a really good dinner here.  After dinner we went to Roger Williams Park Zoo, for the parade of jack-o-lanterns.  A part of the zoo was blocked off and they had over 1000 decorated pumpkins!  It was really cool or should I say cold.  This pretty much ended our day so we headed back to good 'ol Hartford.

Like I said before we are not big fans of Connecticut so we try to get out of town as much as possible.  We have trips planned to the cape Cod area, Maine and NYC (for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade)!  So I will keep you posted on where we go touring next!

Until next time...

~m  

4 days, 12 states...East Coast Bound!

Maggie hanging out at the Great Salt Lake

Mormon Temple, Salt Lake City, UT

We are finally back on the east coast!!!! After 4 days of being in the car and covering 12 states we are now in Hartford, CT. We are so glad to be back on the east coast! We left Reno last Friday morning and drove about 12 hours a day to get to CT on Monday night for me to start work Tuesday morning. I have a week of work completed (11 more weeks to go!) Patrick has been given the opportunity to work at the same hospital I am at (Hartford Hospital). He starts work Monday. So we are excited about this! He is per diem so hopefully we can keep the same schedule. We are excited about all of the touristy things to do around this area so we will keep you updated as we go....12 more weeks til home sweet home! Until next time...

A few of the 12 state signs we passed!

~m

Our time here is coming to a close!!!

We are so excited that our time here in Reno is almost over!!! We have 12 more days here to be exact!! Reno has not been our most favorite place, but I do have to say that we have fallen in love with Lake Tahoe. Funny thing Reno has been our least favorite and Lake Tahoe has been our most favorite! We have taken advantage of been so near Lake Tahoe and have gotten away as much as possible. I think since the last time I have written we have managed to go up to the Lake a couple of more times! We have also visited Virginia City. VC is an old western/mining town up in the mountains. It was a fun experience...we did a trolley tour of the "city", a train ride, a tour of an old mine, and old school, the opra house and a museum of "the way it was". It was a nice day trip activity! We have about exhausted all of the activities to do in Reno. This week the state fair is in town so we are going to go to that and I am hoping that they have heard of fried candy bars out here in Nevada!!!

At our swim spot in Lake Tahoe

I also got some great news last week...I got a job in Hartford, Connecticut!!! So we will be jetting across the US in 4 days. We will be on the road for about 11-12 hours a day to get to CT by September 8th. We will be there until the first of December!!! I am so excited that we are going to be on the east coast again! So we will be just a short cheap plane ride away so come visit! This will be my last travel assignment...we have decided to settle down and be "normal". We are going to take the month of December off and hopefully become staff in the beginning of January. Patrick has also decided that he wants to go back to nursing school so hopefully he will be able to start that adventure in January!

Rafting down the Truckee River in Lake Tahoe

I think that is about wraps up our lives for the past month or so. So until next time...

~m

"The Biggest Little City in the World"

So we have been in Reno for about a month now and I have failed to make any postings. Not because we have been so busy but because we have not been busy at all. I have been working for the most part of our time here. I did have a couple of nights off so we went camping one night at Lake Tahoe.

We were supposed to go for two nights but we called it quits after one night because I was freezing the first night and Patrick was having a hard time sleeping. So we packed up camp, took the dogs down the the water for a few hours to swim and then headed back home. It was beautiful there and we are planning on going back there to camp for Patrick's birthday. So hopefully we will be a little more prepared! We still have a lot of exploring to do here in Reno. For the most part there are a lot of casinos, but there seems to be a lot of hiking activities to do also. Gambling is not really our thing so we are trying to find other things to do. We did go downtown one night with a couple of my coworkers to play Blackjack. Well, that lasted about 5 minutes (literally). I lost $20 and we were done. So good thing we learned our lesson quickly and not to expensive either. Hopefully we will be doing more exciting things to come. I will try to keep ya'll posted....until next time...

~m

So long California!!!

So it's been way to long since my last post. After we got back from home Patrick's Mom and Larry came to visit us for a few days. With them we went to an Oakland A's game, went down to Monterrey and Carmel. Patrick and I went to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium which is one of the top 5 aquariums in the US! We also went down to Fisherman's Wharf. We also ate at the Melting Pot one night. There is also a HUGE flee market in San Jose so we went there one of the days Jackie and Larry were visiting. We had a blast with them!

So the next weekend Diana finally came to visit us! We had a TON of fun with her. The first day she was in San Jose we took her to San Fran to Orpheum Theatre to see Wicked....awesome show! The next day we got up and went to the San Fran Zoo and hiked through Muir Woods. One day we did a tour of Napa and that night saw the Avett Brothers at the Filmore!! That was also an awesome show!! Then on Sunday we went down to Monterrey and did a whale watching tour. That was awesome too. We saw a total of 4 humpback whales. After the whale watching we ate some really good seafood on the pier.

In between family and friends coming to visit we adopted and other kid. Ella and King Charles Cavalier! She is beautiful and is still learning the family.

So our last couple of weeks in San Jose were pretty awesome. We got to do a lot of things that we had not done and share some things that we had already experienced.

So I finally got another job after San Jose.....Reno, NV! Not my first choice but with the way the economy is theses days jobs were far and few between. We are actually here with a friend, Melanie, I met in San Jose. So on our way to Reno we decided to camp our way through Yosemite National Park. This was my 1st camping experience. I actually had a good time and would do it again. Good thing since Lake Tahoe is about 45 minutes from Reno! Anyways this was the perfect time of the year to go to Yosemite because the snow is starting to melt and the waterfalls and rivers are rushing! It was absolutely gorgeous there and I am so glad that we had the opportunity to go there.

So now we are trying to settle down in Reno. We finally got to our apartment but we are still waiting on our furniture...which won't be here til Tuesday so we are still "enjoying" the aerobed. I think we are going to enjoy it here and I can't wait to make my first trip to Lake Tahoe.

~m

Back Home in NC

Patrick and I travelled home to NC this past week. We were home for a week and divided our time with friends and my family. We got home on Wednesday night late. On Thursday Patrick and I had a lot of errands to run and then we celebrated at Top of the Hill with Diana and other friends for her birthday. It was nice getting to hang out with our friends! On Friday Patrick, Kendal, Diana and I all went to Charlotte for the Avett Brothers/DMB concert. We also met Laura and John there and Meagan and Dusty, and Tate. It was great getting to see them. We really miss you guys. Then on Saturday was Karriann and Nathen's wedding in Henderson. That was also a lot of fun and a very beautiful wedding. By the way Karriann if you are reading this hands down you had the BEST wedding cake I have ever eaten! I ate my piece AND Patrick's! No resting after all of this fun. On Sunday we drove down to Mama and Daddy's for the rest of the time we were in NC. As always we had a great time here. Sunday afternoon Jerri-Lynn and Ricky brought over Cramer Belle so I could meet her. She was born in December and this was the first time I had gotten to meet her. So cute and so happy-go-lucky! John David also came to visit and was so much fun to play with! Monday Patrick, Mama and I rode to Wrightsville beach to eat a Bluewater and then shopped around Wilmington. Tuesday was a chill day so we hung around Bladen County and went fishing in Daddy's ponds in the evening. Tuesday night after everyone had decided to go to bed we headed back to Durham to catch a flight the next morning. We had a blast in NC, stayed very busy but we were very excited to get back to our babies. Thank you to Melanie for babysitting for us...I owe you! So it's back to the drawing board. I am working the next 6 out of 7 nights so fun, fun. I think that about wraps up this week so until next time...

~m

Road Trip to L.A.

Maggie and Henry joined us too...

Chinese Theatre

Hiking up Runyon Canyon Park overlooking LA

On the "set" of Friends

Meeting Mickey in Disneyland

Disneyland

March 25th, 2009

So Patrick got tickets to the Elton John and Billy Joel "Face to Face Tour" concert in Anaheim, CA so that gave us a good excuse to take a few days to explore southern CA. Ideally enough it was in the same time frame that Brian came to visit! After working 4 nights in a row (myself) and Patrick and Brian exploring northern CA we packed up and headed down to LA for a few days. We left on Wednesday after I got off work and got there around 3. Patrick had gotten us tickets to see Jimmy Kimmel Live so as soon as we got to our hotel in Downey we changed clothes and headed to LA. Downey is about 20 minutes from LA if you can find a way to avoid traffic (but that is impossible). Any ways if you were watching JKL that night you would have spotted Me, Patrick and Brian in the audience. We actually made it on TV...we were at the John Stamos, Dr. Drew show. AND Guerrmo was there!! If you don't know who he is then you should look him up on Youtube (esp the red carpet clips)! It was pretty awesome getting to go to a studio taping. The stage and everything is so much smaller than it appears on TV. After the interviews we went to the concert stage out back where Blue October was playing. After the show we were starving so we went to this Italian place which was really good. After that we were pooped so we headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

March 26th

We decided to sleep in a little this day because of all the travelling the day before and my sleeping pattern was so off. After we decided to finally get up we put on running clothes and headed down to Venice Beach. But before we went there we made a stop at White House Black Market for Brian to pick Jenn up an outfit to surprise her when she got there that night. (Only later did I find out the real reason why he got the outfit!) So when we got to Venice Beach we took an hour to run/walk around the boardwalk. It was a really pretty beach and great place to go for a run. After that we headed back to the hotel to shower and pick Jenn up from LAX. After we picked her up we went and ate dinner at the Abbey (which is good for star spotting) in Hollywood. We actually did see Janice Dickinson there. Actually Patrick and Jenn saw her...I just saw her back. But I would have not recognize her anyways if we would have come face to face. Our waiter told us that Calvin Klein and the Kardashions (sp. right?) were there that night too. After dinner we headed back to the hotel to get ready for another fun filled day!

March 27th

This day we had a reservation for the WB studio tour. This was the first studio tour I had ever been on and it was awesome! Patrick wasn't feeling well so Brian, Jenn and I went. It was a lot of fun! I got to see where Ellen is taped!! But they were not taping this day so I didn't get to see her :( We tried to get tickets to her show but of course that is impossible. There were a few stars wondering around Lindsey Price, Angus (from 2 and 1/2 Men) and the girl with the long blonde hair from that John Ritter show. The tour was about 2 1/2 hours and the guide took you around the whole lot and you got to see where shows and movies have been/are being taped/taping. It was really cool. This was about all we did this day because traffic was so horrible going back to the hotel to pick up Patrick I refused to drive back to LA. So we had dinner in Downey that night and watched the Carolina game. Go Heels!

March 28th

This was the day of the concert so we got up early this day and went to LA to be tourists. We went to Hollywood Blvd and saw Kodak Theatre, the Chinese Theatre, Roosevelt hotel and the Hollywood walk fame. After taking some pics we heading up to Runyon Canyon Park to get an overview of the city. You had to drive up into the Hollywood Hills to get there. The view from the top was awesome! After we got some pics there we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the night. Patrick and Brian went to the concert and Jenn and I got dressed up and went to dinner. So anyways we got ready and wanted to take pictures (of course) so we headed to the front entrance of the hotel (we parked at the back). There was a limo out front so we thought it would be a good idea to get a pic in front of that as a joke. So we asked the driver to take our pic. He agreed but said that if his clients came he would have to give the camera back. Anyways so he took the pics and after he did Patrick opened the limo door and told me to get in!! I didn't believe him at first but he and Brian had planned the whole thing! That is why Brian wanted to get Jenn an outfit. The guys had got the limo to take them to the concert and then they arranged for us to go to dinner at Koi! Needless to say Jenn and I were shocked and speechless! It was the best surprise. So we dropped the guys off in Anaheim and headed to Hollywood for dinner. The BEST dinner I have ever had (besides when Patrick cooks for me ;) ). We started off with edamame and shared the salmon and tofu!!! YUM!! After dinner we picked the guys up and headed back to the hotel. Great Day!

March 30th

Patrick and I went to the Happiest Place on Earth! Disneyland! And we got to meet Mickey Mouse!! People said that if you have been to Disney World then you shouldn't even go to Disney land because DW is so much better...well I beg to differ. We had a blast. And I would love to go back sometime! They had Patrick's favorite ride there the Nemo submarine one that is no longer at DW. And Space Mountain was so much better at DL! Although I don't think the mother and son sitting in front of us thought so. The picture of them that was taken during the ride showed the mother laying on the son. When the ride stopped the son looked super mad and the mother couldn't even get off she was so sick. The Dad had a blast though! We got there that morning and stayed til closing that night at 11...oh how we love Disney!

March31st

Our last day in LA we spent doing studio tours. I would love to go back and do more. They are so much fun. We went to WB and Sony. We redid the WB tour since Patrick didn't get to go on the first one. Since every tour is different it worked out for me too. This tour was actually so much better than the first WB tour I went on. The guide was better and he gave more behind the scenes info! We got to go on the set of Friends on this tour which was awesome! We even got to see Ellen's car. If we would have been a minute quicker we may have gotten a glimpse of her! Oh well maybe next time! After the WB tour we did the Sony tour. This was Patrick's favorite because he got to see one of the sound stages where the Wizard of Oz was filmed and even helped our tour guide lift up the floor where the wicked witch of the west appeared in munchkin land. We saw Adam Sandler's car on this tour and Patrick thinks that he heard him laugh as we were walking up to the building where his car was. The tours were a lot of fun and if we go down to LA again we will def. have to do some more.

That about concludes our trip down to LA. We had a great time and the only thing I don't miss about that place is the traffic. It is HORRIBLE down there. So watch out if you ever go down that way...

I don't know where our next adventure will take us but until next time...

~m

Brian Came to California!

So Brian finally made it to California this week! Fortunately I got to hang out with the guys a little but I am working for the most part so I can have days off to go to LA on Wednesday! Before I get to that. Brian arrived Thursday night at SJC around 10:30PM so Patrick and I picked him up. After catching up for a few hours we headed to bed for a big day on Friday. Brian's first day in California we took him to where else but Napa Valley. So beautiful! We did a Wine Train for lunch. It took us through Napa Valley and back and during the ride they served us lunch and you could sample wines if you would like. It was really fun and we had a great time. The food was great and Patrick let me eat his dessert (as well as mine...mooo!) The weather was beautiful! After the train ride we decided to venture off and visit a few wineries on our own. Because you can't go to Napa Valley and not tour a couple of wineries! After a long day of site seeing we headed back home. Now this is where I had to become un-fun (is that a word???...well it is now) and work the next 4 nights. So I will have to leave it up to Patrick to fill in the spaces of the next 4 days. I did get up early today and went to dinner with the guys at Aqui's...it is a California-Mexican place...organic/healthy....VERY good. We enjoyed it a lot!! I defiantly want to go back there! Afterwards I introduced Brian to Peet's!!! I think he liked it...at least I hope he liked it! I know I LOVE it!!! Anyways...LA in a few days! Until next time...
~m

Well, we have had an exciting few of days. I had a stretch of 5 days off so we tried to stay busy. waQw (Henry had to type a word there) The first day I was off we were lazy since I had worked the night before. But we still continued with our boot camp. After running we set out to Whole Foods to try and find some yummy fish. We had been looking around for fish but there aren't any good choices around the apartment. At Whole Foods we hit the jackpot! We got 5 days worth of fish and chicken!! On Friday we ended up doing boot camp, cooking and then headed over to Santana Row. We walked around down there and went to Pinkberry for dessert. My new obsession! We are going to have to open up a Pinkberry when we move back to NC because I don't think I can live too long without it! Saturday we took the BART train up to San Francisco. The BART train is like the metro in DC. We can drive up the road about 15 minutes and ride it up to San Fran. This way we don't have to worry about traffic, parking or parking tickets in the city! So we explored around the city all day. We started out by going up to see the Painted Ladies and the park where Donna Jo and Stephanie Tanner had picnics. They were having a St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival. We walked through the festival area and watched a portion of the parade. It was a very long crazy parade. After the parade we walked around the shopping district. We resisted the temptation to eat but I couldn't resist Peet's. I don't know if I have mentioned Peet's previously but it is absolutely the BEST coffee ever. Trey works at at Peet's in LA and was actually the person that introduced us to Peet's! I have no desire to ever go back to Starbucks. I guess I should add opening up a Peet's to the list of things we have to bring back to NC! After a long day of sightseeing we headed back home and cooked some yummy fish! On Sunday we did a food and wine tour in Sonoma County. We rode the BART train to San Fran again and rode a bus out to Sonoma County. So beautiful out there. Oh yeah and we finally got to see the Golden Gate Bridge and we even rode over it!!! Unfortunately the weather was too bad to get a good picture :/ We started the tour out at Mayo winery and proceeded on to a cheese tasting, another winery, olive oil tasting, chocolate tasting and then ended the day at another winery. It was such a great day! We had so much fun. We even met another travel nurse on the tour! We got her number and plan to eat dinner one night with her in the city. That brings us to today. After having two days off of boot camp we were at it again today. Today was the hardest we had done. We had to run for 5 min and walk for 1 for a total of 30 min. You might not think this is that hard but we have not really worked out for a long time so we busted our butts today! We are done with our interval training and we will start running the full time tomorrow. We are excited about this! I think that about sums up our weekend. I have to work tomorrow night and then I am off for another 2 days. Not sure what we are going to be doing those days. But I do know Brian is flying in Thursday night so we are getting excited about that. Until next time...

~m

Finally Settled...

So we have finally gotten settled and have already made a couple of road trips to San Fran and Sacramento. So the first weekend we were here we went up to San Fran to check it out...and learned one important lesson...next time we go there we will be taking the train! Traffic was crazy which in part cut our trip short. We were there for just a few hours and I managed to get a parking ticket!!! It was only $45 but still, gosh! My first ticket ever!!! It said that I was not in a marked space. Funny thing is I was in the lines and there was a meter in front of the car. Oh well. We were in Fleet Feet at the time getting new running shoes. We are on our way to a healthy lifestyle! We have started eating well and next week we are starting our boot camp training so we can get back in shape and start running regularly. Our goal before we leave here is to run a 5K! While we were there we drove down Lombard Street which was an experience. It was a straight up drive to it and a VERY winding road down...crazy (that's it in the picture above). We didn't get to see the Golden Gate Bridge on this trip but I'm sure we will visit there again since it isn't very far from San Jose. We looked for Donna Joe Tanner's house and didn't find that either;) It was a fun quick trip and I can't wait to go back. On the we passed by San Fran's airport which is the biggest airport I have ever seen AND had the biggest planes I have ever seen. There were two- story planes!! That is the kind I would like to get on!

After San Fran I started work that Monday...which it was there that I found out that the hospital is pretty much in the ghetto...it is a trauma hospital that has a lot of shootings and stabbings to come in...I guess this will be an experience! Our apartment is on the outskirts of this activity. So far we have felt pretty safe though.

So after orientation we had to ride up to Sacramento to the Board of Nursing so I could get my temporary license. We were supposed to go the Friday before but in order to save money the state of California closes all state mandated businesses every 1st and 3rd Friday of every month. The BON is included in this. When I found this out I thought I was going to lose my contract because I would have to start work without a license. But anyways...I worked it out and I have officially worked for 2 weeks now. OK..got off track there. Anyways for the trip to Sacramento we pretty much went to the BON and Marshall hopped all the way back to San Jose with the Jelly Belly factory in between. So I guess I should explain. Patrick and I are obsessed with Marshall's when we were in Fl we went to every Marshall's between West Palm Beach and Miami. So we got in the mood again and did the same between San Jose and Sacramento. I didn't have much luck but Patrick found a lot of Vineyard Vines stuff and he has this new obsession with Molton Brown Products (we discovered this product at the hotel that we stayed in in Beverly Hills) and he found some of that stuff too. I am still looking :( I guess there is always outlet shopping! Anyways we also went to the Jelly Belly Factory which was a lot of fun too. We got a tour of the factory and got a free bag of Jelly Bellys! They had a sample bar there where they had every flavor imaginable. They even had skunk, earwax, pencil shaving, vomit and the list goes on. Patrick tried the skunk one. It made his breath horrible. It smelled just like a skunk. And he said it taste like it too!

After all that excitement, Patrick has been sick for the past week but I think he is finally getting over that. We think he had a touch of the flu and are hoping I don't get it. But I think I am in the clear! So I am working the weekend off Monday and then working Tuesday and Wednesday nights then off for 5 days so I should have more things to talk about soon! Until next time...

-m